Unknown Mortal Orchestra

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“Unknown Mortal’s secret weapon, though, is a kind of fried funk that grounds even Nielson’s most whimsical passages” – the Guardian“UMO’s lo-fi sizzle and compression gave it the feel of an artifact, a lost treasure transmitted through decades of overdubbed tapes” – Pitchfork,
“II” album review “Chock-full with bass grooves, soaring vocals and the feeling that this would be best experienced in a dingy, smoky backroom, with sweat dripping from the walls”– BBC’s album review of “Unknown Mortal Orchestra” “The Portland trio makes decaying states of consciousness seem like heaven with psychedelic guitar-pop that’s alluringly out of focus” – Rolling Stone

Unknown Mortal Orchestra first dropped into the world in late 2010 as a bandcamp account carrying a single called ‘Ffunny Ffrends’. ‘Ffunny Ffrends’ was everything you imagined it might be – alien beatnik pop music that echoed 60s psychedelia and krautrock minimalism with just a hint of gentle weirdness that suggested its roots might equally lie in the verdant indie of the equally distant New Zealand scene.

Ruban Nielson is a New Zealand native who had transplanted to Portland, Oregon, USA with his band The Mint Chicks. UMO was a project conceived as Ruban’s escape hatch to a new musical dimension where his vision of junkshop record collector pop could be realized in a sound that recalled Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on some kids TV theme too dark to ever be broadcast.
After disbanding New Zealand’s the Mint Chicks, Nielson planned to quit music and take on a day job. As a hobby, he continued making psychedelic demos in his basement using samples. Soon, music took over as a career again, and his fun brand of experimental pop ended up in the hands of Fat Possum Records, who released Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s self-titled debut in the early summer of 2011.

In September 2012, Unknown Mortal Orchestra announced that they had signed to Jagjaguwar (Bon Iver, Volcano Choir) and began crafting their second full-length album. UMO’s sophomore album is titled II and was released on February 5, 2013.The first single from the album, entitled “Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)”, was first available as a 7″ on their tour with Grizzly Bear.

II received wide critical acclaim. Clash Music gave it a 9 out of 10, saying “from opener ‘From The Sun’, which recalls George Harrison-psychedelia, to the tender Family Stone shuffle of the closing of ‘Secret Xtians’, ‘II’ displays both a glowing warmth in its production and a deft use of space that illuminate Nielson’s superbly crafted compositions.” Paste Magazine called the album “a modern, beat-heavy take on ‘60s psych, with plenty of hooks and fuzz to get you hooked and feeling fuzzy.” NME praised Ruban’s ability to turn his songs into “works of warm, fuzzy beauty.”

During the winter of 2013, Unknown Mortal Orchestra capitalized on the success of II and embarked on a world tour. The tour started off with shows in Australia, and hometown shows in New Zealand, followed by several stops in Europe. The band then toured extensively throughout North America with opener Foxygen. In March 2013, Unknown Mortal Orchestra was named one of Fuse TV’s 30 must-see artists at SXSW. Unknown Mortal Orchestra consistently sold out shows in both the UK/Europe and in North America, and as a result of their success on the road they announced in early April that they would extend their touring. This summer the band performed at a number of major European festivals, including Roskilde Festival, Pukkelpop and Lowlands, and early in 2014 they will debut their sound in South Korea!